Carlisle Construction Materials, Carlisle, Pa., a manufacturer of roof insulation
and black and white single-ply membranes, agrees wholeheartedly that white membranes
can be part of an energy-efficient roof system. In warm, southern climates where
the bulk of energy bills come from air conditioning, reflective cool roofs can cut
energy bills, decrease stress on the power grid and reduce natural resource consumption.

But in cold, northern climates, building owners typically spend much more on heating
than air conditioning. Government data shows heating a building consumes about five
times more energy than cooling it. Unfortunately, white roofs often are installed
and even mandated in cold-climate regions where they do not deliver major energy
benefits, and this can lead to undesirable and unintended consequences.

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